Teitukating and reducing mill



(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet l.

- C. J. BEST.

-- TRITURATING AND REDUGING MILL. 10.584,980. wanted Jun@ 22, 1897.

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2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

C. J. BEST.l

TRITURATING AND RBDUGING MILL.

' No. 584,980. Patented June 22,1887.

(No Model.)

ills UNITED STATES CHARLES J.- BEST,

PATENT OEETCE.

OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN H. VOGT, OF SAMEPLACE.

TRITURATING AND REDUCING MILL.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 584,980, dated June 22,1897.

Application led November 18, 1895l Serial No. 569,318. (No model.) i

To @ZZ whom t may concern:

Beit known that I, CHARLES J. BEST, a citizen of the United States,residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, haveinvented certain Improvements in Triturating and Reducing Mills, ofwhich the following is a specification.

My invention relates to triturating and reducing mills, and particularlysuch as are designed for the treatment of ores, though I do not desireto be limited in the matter of the use of my machine. `It can be used inany 4place and for any purpose where a reducing process is desired. Theparticular thing I have in mind at this moment, however, is thereduction of ores.

My invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein-Figure 1 is a vertical section; Fig. 2, a plan view of part of themachine with the weight L' removed.

We will assume that A is the ceiling, and B the oor, of a room in whichmy mill is to be set.

C is a head-block secured in the ceiling; D D, supporting-beams; E, abed-plate, and F a foot-block supported on the bed-plate.

G is a shaft, round in cross-section at its upper end, provided with thebeveled gear I-I, meshing with the gear J on the shaft K, which is journaled in the hanger L, and which shaft is driven to rotate the shaftG. The shaft G is round in cross-section at its lower end and providedwith the antifriction-disks M M, upon which it rests.

N is an annular iiange about the bed-plate, having the grooved troughat'its upper edge. In this trough run the antifriction-balls P, uponwhich rests the lower outer rim R of the dish-shaped piece S. This pieceis loose, so as to rotate on the shaft G, and has the troughshaped pieceT, circumferentially arranged and adapted to receive the reducing-ballsU. The upper surface of the dish-shaped piece S is provided with thebearing-flange V and the bearing-surface W, against which bear,respectively, the antifriction-disks X and Y on shafts arranged at rightangles to each other in the annulus Z, which annulus is pro-- vided withthe projectingV fingers A A', between which lie the balls U. On theouterextremity of the dish-shaped piece S is arranged the annular screen B',and above it the guard-plate C', the whole being mounted and supportedin any desired manner. The dish-shaped piece S is provided with theouter depending lip D', and beneath this lip and inside of it issupported the pan E', with an enlargement E2 at one side. The pan isslightly inclined. On the outer edge of the `rim R of the dish-shapedpiece S is a sort of crown-gear F', which is engaged by the pinion G onthe shaft I-I, which rotates in the bearing J4 and which is driven fromsome source of power not here shown. The dishshaped piece S may bestrengthened by the webs K.

L'is a rotating weight, dish-shaped and on,

the shaft G at the square portion thereof, so that it rotates with theshaft G and is free to move vertically therealong. This weight L bearsat its outer periphery on the balls U and has surface-channels M M' toreceive the water which may be discharged by the pipes N N' and thecrushed ore or other such substance which may be discharged from thepipes O O and carry the same down upon the outer surfaces. K

Numerous details and devices for convenience and for facilitating theuse of the apparatus, which may be apparent to any one, I have not goneinto or set forth at length; but what I have above described and what isshown in the drawings will be suflicient to make clear the features ofconstruction necessary to realize my invention.

The use and operation of the same are briefly as follows:

The power being properly applied will cause the shaft G and weight L torotate in a given direction, said weight having all necessary freedomfor vertical motion along the shaft. At the same time power applied tothe shaft H' will rotate the dish-shaped piece S in the oppositedirection. The balls U being held between these two pieces and separatedfrom each other by the arms A will of course begin to rotate under theaction of the oppositelyrotating parts between which they lie. Now thespeed or speeds may be regulated so that the balls will travel about ina circle, as well as rotate on their own axes, and they may IOO then bemade to travel in either direction. In other words, I do not desire tobe limited by the degree or character of motion imparted to any of theparts. The dish-shaped piece S is permitted to rotate by thebearing-balls I), upon which it rests. Now while this rotation is goingon the substance to be treated-as, for example, pulverized ore-isdischarged on the exterior of the weight L and runs down and along thatexterior and is discharged upon the balls U and passing thence into thetrough between them, whereupon it is ground and pulverized and furtherreduced by them. If desired, this action is facilitated by the use ofwater, which in suitable quantities may be supplied. Vhen water is used,the liquid will gradually pass through the sieve or screen B and willcarry with it such substance as may be fine enough to pass the meshes ofthat sieve, and this is carried out onto the table or trough E forfurther treatment, as the case may require. The grinding or pulverizingprocess continues until the workis completed. Any tendency of thesubstances to fly off from the surface of the weight L' is resisted bythe guard C. It will be observed that by this means I bring to the workof reducing the ore a very considerable weight, and this weight may beincreased to very great proportions, since there is no such thing aslifting of any dead weight. The whole action proceeds on ball-bearings.The

erushingballs themselves are simply ballbearings for the weight L.Moreover, these balls have a twofold action. They roll over and thuscrush the substance in the bottom of the trough in which they work, andthey also have a twisting and turning action, which may be described asa rubbing action. This action not only crushes but also polishes thematerial which passes into the trough under the balls. The peculiarmotion which I impart to these reduction-balls results in polishing themetal, so to speak-that is, it will result in removing from the surfaceof the metal to be recovered such coating as it may have-for example,the coating resultingfrom oxidation. The metal so polished is thencarried over into the amalgamating-plates, where it becomes sensitive tothe amalgamation and can be recovered.

rlhe balls need not and in fact it is preferable that they should notprecisely Iit the groove in which they run. Vhen the crushed ores orother substances are passed in, it will be noted that the arrangement issuch that the bulk of the material will pass in on one side of theballs, in the illustration on the outer side, though I might also with asomewhat similar result throw the greater quantity of the ore on theinner side of the ballsthat is, nearer the center. In the device asshown the greater portion of the material is discharged on the outerside of the ball, or at its side farthest from the center of rotation.Now the result of this is to form an irregular and varying cushion onthe outer side of the groove, against which the ball bears, and thus theball is caused to travel a somewhat serpentine path along its groove andabout the center of rotation. A similar result might be accomplished byballs traveling in a straight groove, as will be readily seen, but theimportance of this action is very considerable, since it gives thegrinding or polishing effect as distinguished from the crushing effectof the ball, and, as above explained, this grinding and polishing effectis highly desirable.

The trough or groove in which the balls U are placed' may be of anydesirable shape. For example, it may be a serpentine groove, and Itherefore do not wish to be limited to any definite shape or form ofgroove.

I claiml. In a reduction-mill the combination of a rotatable tablesupported on ball-bearings, with mechanism for rotating the same in onedirection, a series of reduction-balls on such table, a weight restingon said balls, mechanism for rotating said weight in a directionopposite to the direction of rotation of said table, and an intermediateframework independent of said table and weight, said framework providedwith projecting parts which extend outwardly between the balls and keepthem properly distanced from each other, said framework providedwith-antifrictiondisks adapted to engage said table, and annularbearing-surfaces on said table, substantially as described.

2. In a reduction-mill the combination of a rotatable pan with a groovetherein, a series of balls within said groove, said balls and groove soproportioned that the balls are free to move radially within saidgroove, a panlike weight resting upon the top of said balls, means forrotating said weight, said pan operatively connected with a rotatingshaft so as to be rotated in a direction opposite to the direction ofrotation of the weight, an intermediate framework independent of saidtable and weight and provided with projecting parts which extendoutwardly between the balls and keep them properly distanced from eachother, an exterior stationary pan or trough supported independently ofthe said first pan, the whole so arranged that the material ground canbe mixed with water which then passes through the sieve and is receivedon theexterior pan.

3. In a reduction-mill the combination of a pan or dish shaped piece Sprovided with a gear F', adapted to operatively engage the pinion G' onthe driving-shaft II', and having an annular groove therein, a series ofballs U in said groove, a pan-shaped weight L resting upon said ballsand connected with a shaft G so as to be rotated thereby and so as to befree to move longitudinally, an intermediate framework Z interposedbetween the piece S and the weight L', and provided with the arms Aextending between the balls, the antifriction-disks Y connected withsaid framework, all substantially as described.

IOO

IIO

4. In a reduction-mill the combination of a pan provided with a gear onits under surface adapted to operatively connect With a pinion on adriving-shaft, said pan provided with an annular groove with a series ofballs therein, said groove so formed that the balls are free to moveradially, an inverted panlike Weight resting upon the top of said balls,a shaft projecting through said weight and provided with a pinion abovethe weight by which it is rotated, the parts so constructed that theweight and pan may be rotated in opposite directions, an intermediateframework independent of said table and weight, said framework providedwith projecting

